


You Asked For This

by cheddarbug



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Carine has a secret, Daddy Kink, Dom/sub Undertones, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Pregnancy, Sex, Slice of Life, Smut, Unplanned Pregnancy, Yes I said daddy kink, i am conflicted, light fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 06:14:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17218505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheddarbug/pseuds/cheddarbug
Summary: When Carine brings something unexpected up in the bedroom, naturally Nero is 100% all in leading to a surprise for everyone involved.*This is not connected to any of my other fics and maybe might lead into a whole other story. We shall see lol*





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> You guys can thank Panda Valentine for this one. One drunk email lead to all of this and somehow inspired me to write again over something that I had never considered until I woke up this morning. 
> 
> You're welcome!

Carine dropped her pack on the floor the moment she entered the little cottage tucked neatly on the edge of the Lavender Beds. Normally Nero wouldn’t have heard her arrive home as he greatly preferred the workshop she had bestowed upon him in the basement, but a lack of fresh coffee had necessitated that he venture upstairs and fix that.

To his surprise, the Elezen did not immediately rush to him there in the kitchen as she was wont to do the moment she walked through the door. Instead, it sounded as though she had ventured to their room, likely to change into something more comfortable if he had to guess. He let out a sigh of relief, not an onze of guilt in the effort as he was on the verge of a breakthrough and the last thing he wanted was to be distracted by her voracious appetite for  _ him. _

Quietly he went back down the stairs, careful to not alert her to his presence so that she might choose instead to rest from whatever mission she had come home from. He had long since decided it was best he didn’t know what she did every day for the Scions, choosing instead to just enjoy her company when she was around to give it. If anything he should thank them for keeping her busy, though there was that niggling desire he had to keep her here where she was safe. 

A silly thing, to be sure. Carine  _ was _ the Warrior of Light after all. What could he do to keep her safe that she couldn’t do herself?

Still, there was the discomfort that would sit in his chest, as it was doing now while he picked up his tools and set to work. Nero would never admit to anyone save Carine that he actually  _ missed _ her while she was gone and he would be damned if he ever told her that he would rather her stay close because of some primal desire he had to protect her when she was more than capable of protecting herself. 

And why  _ hadn’t _ she come down here yet to blather on about her day and whatever foe she laid to rest?

Nero’s mood grew more sour with each passing minute, his mind not at all focused on the task before him that he had not wished to be interrupted from. Bloody wench could still manage to drive him to distraction without even being in the room. Sighing, he put down his precious tools and shook his head. No, this wouldn’t do at all.

Back upstairs, it was clear to see she hadn’t yet emerged from the room she had disappeared in not that long ago. He cursed himself as he approached the door, hating the need to just check on her one time. Yes. That was it. He didn’t need to talk with her long, he just needed to know she was well and not overworked, maybe she just needed a long nap. 

Upon entering the room, he could see her laid out upon the bed with some tome in her hands and wearing nothing but one of his red shirts as she often did. She immediately startled, dropping the book to the side of the bed and looking up at him with her wide, lavender eyes that he was so fond of. Not that Nero would ever admit to liking the color purple, well, at least not to anyone besides her.

“I heard you come in,” he stated matter-of-factly as he leaned against the door frame. 

“And I heard you in the kitchen,” she replied, the blush in her cheeks dying down little by little. “I take it you ran out of coffee? You really should allow Wedge to make you a kettle…”

“I can make it myself, thank you,” his eyes narrowed at her, but the wench just grinned.

“Then why don’t you?”

“Mayhap because I have bigger things to work on besides coffee machines? I am a busy man.”

There was a flash of something in her eyes, a spark of hesitation? Nero wasn’t entirely sure for it was long gone by the time she was curling her finger, seductively asking him to join her there on the bed. 

It was impossible, he decided long ago, to resist her. When Carine had it in her mind that she wanted sex, there was little to dissuade her otherwise. A far cry from the first time he had taken her, as he recalled while allowing his Warrior of Light to straddle him right there in the bed. 

“I missed you.”

There wasn’t a feeling in the world Nero could compare to what he felt when she said those three words. It meant more than anything, more than magitek, more than his desire to be better than Cid, more than his desire to be remembered in history. To know that someone as powerful and influential as the Warrior of Light cared and missed and  _ needed _ him, that was better than all of it combined.

“And I missed you,” he replied honestly, his hands running up the length of her exposed thighs. Carine practically purred, eyes closing in content at the feel of him touching her. His lips pressed against her neck and along her jaw until finally he reached her lips. 

By the time he had pulled away, he was already hard and ready to take her. One look at her scrunched face and curious expression, however, stopped him dead in his tracks. Nothing ever good came out of her when she looked at him like that....well...that was a lie. The last time she had a strange look resulted in him being tied to the bed posts with her mouth and hands teasing him into submission and  _ that _ he had thoroughly enjoyed. 

“Care to share what’s going through that mind of yours?” he smirked, fingers already slipping under the shirt in anticipation. 

Carine smiled with so much warmth and love and adoration Nero was certain his heart actually ached at the sight. “I was just thinking...what do you think about being called daddy?”

A blond brow shot straight to his hairline in surprise. He was aware of this kink, not that he had any experience in it and Carine was the last person in all of Hydaelyn he would think would have it. Then again, if he really thought about it, it couldn’t be much different than any other time she wished for him to dominate her. 

The hesitation from earlier and the mischievous way she was looking at him now served only to spark the flames of desire he now had. It suddenly all made sense. Narrowed blue eyes met hers as he grabbed her ass hard and pulled her closer. “Depends. Have you been a good girl?”

Innocent eyes went wide as her lips parted. Carine was ever the actress when it came to their roles in the bedroom, but she was really playing the part now as he rolled her onto her back and pinned her there. “Nero that’s not-”

“What did you call me?” he growled as he pressed against her, already fully into the idea of this new type of play. The surprised look and innocent expression on her face only served to add fuel to the fire building within him. As realization took hold that he was all in, her lips quirked slightly as she bit them.

“Sorry, daddy. I guess I’m a bad girl.”

_ Fuck! _ Honestly he hadn’t expected it to sound so hot coming from her, but his throbbing cock begged to differ as it pressed against her stomach. 

“You know what happens to bad girls, right?” he purred against her, denying her lips the satisfaction of touching his own as he pulled himself off her and sat upon the edge of the bed. “They get punished.”

He watched the tip of her tongue dart across her lower bottom lip and noticed the tinge of pink now coloring her cheeks. If it weren’t for her dilated pupils and the way she nibbled on her lip, he would have thought her genuinely frightened as she stared at him wide eyed. “I’m sorry, I’ll try to be good. Please, don’t punish me!” Her voice was high and pleading, but her eyes begged him for more. 

Without another word, Nero grabbed her and bent her over his knees so her ass right there for him to admire. Tenderly he pulled the fabric up exposing her bare skin to the cool air of their room. Gooseflesh rose from anticipation as he caressed her skin before he delivered a sharp smack.

A gasp tore from her lips and her fingers dug into his leg as he delivered another and another. Gasps turned into moans and moans turned into whimpers urging him on until her skin was the loveliest shade of red and the scent of her arousal filled the room. 

“Good girl,” he purred, now gently stroking her reddened skin. Long, calloused fingers traced along the curve of her ass, dipping low to caress her slick folds making her quiver beneath him. 

“Good enough for a reward, daddy?” Carine tilted her head enough to capture his gaze and reveal lust blown eyes that spurred on this new found kink he hadn’t been aware that he had. 

Nero shook his head, “Sorry, little bird, you only served your punishment…” he was cut off before he could continue his train of thought as she picked herself off his lap and dropped down to her knees in front of him. 

“May I please show you I can be a good little bird?” she pleaded, eyes wide and innocent and utterly playful as she grinned up at him. To his great surprise, he rather liked her like that. It was quite the change from the usual mischievous stare she gave him through thick lashes and sinful eyes. 

Like always, it was impossible to deny her what she wanted.

“You may.”

Carine wasted no time as she pulled at his buckle and the buttons holding his breeches up. Deft fingers betrayed her innocent act as they quickly pulled his pants down, revealing his throbbing shaft. There was no pretending from the woman as she eyed him lustfully, licking her lips in anticipation from the mere sight of him. This eagerness to please, however, was a delightful surprise as she took him in her mouth and sucked hard. 

His fingers grasped her hair reveling in the feeling of her clever tongue swirling around the head of his cock. Nero’s eyes closed as her hand joined in the action, stroking his shaft in tandem as she sucked him. Every once in a while she would take as much of him as she could, very nearly hitting the back of her throat before flitting her flirtatious eyes up at him through thick lashes. 

“That’s it...who’s daddy’s good girl, hmm?” he urged her on, thrusting his hips in time to her rhythm. 

Carine sucked hard and came off with a small pop, a little string of spittle hanging from her lips as she fluttered her large eyes at him. “Me. I’m your good girl.”

_ Seven fucking Hells...  _ Nero knew without a doubt if they kept this up, he would be finished long before he was able to start with her and there was nothing he hated more than not getting to hear her scream for him at least once. He stood and picked his legs from the breeches now bunched at his feet and pulled off his shirt while she continued sitting on her knees before him somehow still maintaining a picture of innocence. 

“You took your punishment well. How about you let daddy take care of you now, hm?”

Carine nodded and scrambled to her feet, ever the eager woman she was. “Yes please!”

Nero eyed her, his gaze traveling from her toes to the top of her head. Oh she was a pretty thing, lips swollen from pleasuring him, eyes still black with lust, silver hair rumpled around her face, but there was still the matter of his red shirt covering the bits he wished to worship the most. 

“Be a good girl and strip for me,” he ordered as he laid back against the headboard of their bed and stroked his cock for her to see. Another thing he had learned about her from her last experiment was that she absolutely  _ loved _ to watch him stroke himself. Now was no exception as she eyed him hungrily while gripping the hem of the shirt she was wearing. 

Oh so slowly she lifted it higher and higher revealing her pretty little cunt first followed by two perfectly round breasts tipped with dusky nipples. Nero swallowed hard and forced himself to lighten his grip as he watched her toss the offending article of clothing aside and twirl for him. Her ass was still pink from the spanking, but she looked as if she suffered nothing as she stood for him to admire. 

“Beautiful,” he managed to compliment her as he realized she was waiting for him. “Now come here and let me give you your reward.”

She nodded and joined him there, kissing him passionately and allowing him to roll over her. Long, calloused fingers swept down her body until they found the slick wet heat of her cunt already welcoming him. One long leg stretched up to hook over his shoulder, spreading herself wide and giving him more room to work. 

“Such a good girl.” It never ceased to amaze him just how flexible she could be. “Are you ready, little bird?”

Carine nodded, hips jerking beneath him begging for his cock. “Please, gods  _ please…” _

“I’m sorry,  _ who?” _ he asked as he dragged the head of his cock against her slit. 

“Nero, please!” she begged, only earning herself another shake of his head. 

“You’re breaking character, little bird. Try again. Who am I?”

She bucked beneath him, exasperated with his teasing when all she wanted was sweet release. “Please, daddy, fuck me?”

With a low growl, Nero pressed himself into her. She was already so wet and the angle of her leg over his shoulder had opened her wide aiding his rough entrance. A loud whine escaped her throat urging him on as he sat up on his knees and held her leg against him. He loved every little sound she made for him when he fucked her and the way she tried her best to give as good as she got. 

“That’s it. Let me hear how much you like taking my cock,” he rumbled as he increased the pace. Carine rewarded him with an incoherent shout as he tilted her pelvis so that he could fuck her deeper. “Such a good girl. Now, touch yourself. I want you to scream for me.”

He had barely ordered her when her fingers flew to their joining and began to furiously rub against her clit. Her free hand was already gripping at one of her breasts pinching her nipple though that didn’t last long. “Oh please!” she begged as he pumped diligently into her.

“Please what?” 

“Please, daddy, may I please come?” The high keening of her voice coupled with the not so innocent question was almost too much for him. He growled deeply, doubling his efforts until she was squirming around him, her cunt clenching around him tightly with need only he could satisfy.

“You may.”

As if his words had the power, Carine shouted in ecstasy rewarding his ministrations with the song he loved most to hear. He clung to her, riding out the waves of her orgasm until his control wavered and he came within her. Nero moved her leg to the side and dropped to his elbows, chest heaving in time with hers from the exertion. His lips kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her closed eyes, and then her own before rolling onto his side and pulling her against him. 

“That was...unexpected,” she finally managed to say once she caught her breath.

Nero chuckled as he nuzzled into the side of her neck, “Surely by now you should know I am up for anything you wish to try.” Carine was silent then, unnaturally so though her fidgeting fingers told him her mind was busy with words unspoken. He pulled her closer and kissed her cheek in hopes of alleviating whatever was on her mind. “There’s nothing wrong with it, you know. Plenty of women enjoy calling their significant others daddy and I am apparently one of those men that finds it highly erotic. Nothing to be ashamed of.”

Nervously she laughed, her tension not subsiding in the least despite his attempt at making her feel better about what they had just done. “Oh, I know...and until now I had no idea this was something I would even remotely enjoy...but um...that wasn’t what I had intended at all.”

Nero sat up, brows furrowed as she rolled over to meet his curious gaze. “Then why did you ask what I would think about being called daddy?”

“Because you’re going to be one.”


	2. Look What You Made Me Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nero does what Nero does best when shit hits the fan.

Nero lifted the drink to his lips for what felt like the millionth time already, draining the stein with practiced ease he hadn’t remembered possessing since his younger days at the Academy. He had found himself holed up in the local tavern close enough to the cottage but far enough away that its walls no longer seemed to suffocate him as they had before he left. No doubt Carine would come looking for him eventually, once she was no longer pissed at him. 

He slammed down the mug with a grimace. What had she expected from him? To be happy? Excited? Overjoyed? Surely she wouldn’t have thought he would be bursting at the seams over the news of her pregnancy? She had been lucky enough he had been biting his tongue to prevent himself from saying something incredibly stupid in the wake of her confession. Silence had been the only option if he wished for things to remain salvageable between them. Silence and immediate space.

He ordered another drink. He knew he needed to think, to plan, to  _ support, _ but Nero hadn’t the faintest idea where to start and the only person in this godsforsaken country he could trust to help guide him through it was likely back in their room wondering if he was ever coming home. Nero couldn’t go back, not right now, not like this. Every muscle in his body was tense as if it had already decided his course of action. That’s what he did, was it not? He had run from Garlemald when they wanted his head and he had run from Carine when she had become so much more to him than simply the Warrior of Light. Running away at the right time was the key to his survival.  

But Carine. Hells, what was he going to do? He couldn’t run from her now, not when this problem was in part his fault as well. There were precautions they could have taken,  _ should _ have taken regardless of whether or not his Garlean genetics were compatible with hers. They had gotten comfortable trusting that it was an impossible feat they were capable of achieving. 

Yet here they were.

How was he going to fix this? She wasn’t some machine that he had accidentally put one wrong part in. He couldn’t dismantle her and remove that which didn’t belong. Not only was she a living, breathing organism with a mind of her own, but she was the bloody Warrior of Light.

He very well could have condemned them all.

“What in Seven Hells?!” He grimaced at the sound of Cid’s voice from behind him just as a new stein of cheap ale was pushed into his willing hands. “What are you doing here?”

“And what are you drinking?” Ah, but of course Dainty would be here with him. Why wouldn’t the Au’Ra be attached to the hip of her own Garlean husband? He could almost hear her nose wrinkling at the sight of his choice of poison for the evening.

“I am having a  _ delightful _ time, can’t you tell?” Nero lifted the drink and gulped. “At least I  _ was.” _

Silence followed, but he knew they weren’t done with him yet. Just as he had predicted, Cid had taken the stool to his left while Dainty had perched herself on the seat to his right, but not before ordering her own glass of wine. 

Nero raised his eyes at the woman and was simply met with a shrug. “What? I have the feeling I’m going to need it before we’re through.”

He should have just bought a bottle and trekked the entirety of the Lavender Beds to avoid their pestering.

“Carine called and asked if I had heard from you. She was quite beside herself with worry. Is there a reason you aren’t with her right now?” Cid wasted no time getting to the point, complete with a faint warning growl just to add emphasis. 

Nero dropped his eyes, his heart fluttering in his chest with the guilt at having left her behind. “I have my reasons.” Good ones too, not that anyone would agree with them. In fact, Nero was quite sure that if he were to drop this new bit of information into their laps, they might have his head anyway. Getting anyone pregnant had not been on the list of things he wanted to do; getting the Warrior of Light pregnant was on the list of things he definitely _should_ _not_ do.

“Reasons? Or excuses?” This time it was Dainty speaking to him. 

“I’m with her. Your business with Carine is your own, but she was concerned for you and I have half a mind to think she has good reason if you’re drinking cheap ale.”

“She didn’t tell you why?” Nero glanced at him from the corner of his eye. 

The pair shook their heads in unison, their brows pinched with worry. Which was saying something. Nero and Carine butted heads often, both far too stubborn at times to reach a point of compromise. It wasn’t news to anyone when one or the other was too mad to talk about things. They always managed to find a way to figure it out on their own, however, either he would admit that doing things her way was better or she would apologize for not considering other options that could have saved them time.

But this wasn’t an argument. This wasn’t him tinkering with weapons or information that no one in this day and age had any right to tamper with and this wasn’t her dredging up every mistake he had ever made. This was beyond them both, beyond  _ him. _

Nero pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, “She’s pregnant.”

He knew not what they had conjured in their minds over what he might have done this time, but he knew damn well neither of them had been expecting that. Cid’s face went from concern to “oh shit” in the blink of an eye while Dainty remained completely silent. 

Cid whistled long and low. “Should have warned me I would need a drink for this,” he said with a shake of his head as he waved down the bartender. “Are you sure?”

“Yes...wait...no. I didn’t stick around long enough to find out,” Nero frowned and lifted his mug for another drink. Dainty, who was taking a long draught of her wine, snorted into her glass making him pause. “What’s so funny?”

Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand she turned to him with a wide grin. “For a moment, I was thinking I might have to hang you up by your toes. Turns out, Carine just might kill you herself.”

“Last I checked, it takes  _ two _ to create...to make  _ that _ happen,” he growled. “It’s not just  _ my _ fault.”

The Raen Au’Ra drained her glass and shook her head. “You’re a self-centered idiot, you know that right? This isn’t all about you or whether or not this is  _ your _ fault. She told you she was pregnant, and what did you do? You ran away. What did you think that would accomplish?”

“I needed space to think.”

“And she needs you!” Dainty jabbed her finger into his shoulder and narrowed her eyes. “Gods, you are daft.”

“Difficult though it may be for you to believe, I don’t know how to fix everything,” he snapped. “For once in my life, I don’t know what to do. Happy now?”

“You aren’t going to find the answers you’re looking for at the bottom of that mug or any other you’ll drink tonight,” Cid shook his head. “You want to fix this? Talk to her.”

Nero growled and rubbed his temples. He was getting a headache from the two of them and no closer to fixing his problem than when he first arrived. Even so, he knew that they were right. Drinking didn’t fix the problem and running off didn’t make it go away. 

Carine was pregnant. It was his. Facts were facts. 

He was no more ready to face his Warrior of Light than he had been when she had dropped the news nor was he in a state of mind that would have been worthy of her presence given all the alcohol consumed, so Nero walked out the bar and into the cool spring air to take a breath. If Cid and Dainty followed, he wasn’t aware as he walked in perturbed silence. 

Lost. He was completely and totally lost within the depths of his mind that screamed inadequacy. Lost because Garleans were not of the nurturing sort. Lost, because there wasn’t a paternal bone in his body just as there hadn’t been one in the parents he never knew. He couldn’t be a father. The only person vaguely qualified to be called as such was Gaius, and even Nero knew that was no appropriate comparison to make nor was that the kind of figure Carine would want in a father to her child.

And of course there were options. He wasn’t fool enough to think that there weren’t ways out of this mess - both magic and magitek made it possible. Carine was a practical woman and a Warrior of Light, so Nero knew it wasn’t  _ completely _ out of the question. However, it hadn’t gone unnoticed the way her eyes would linger on a family playing outside their home or the way her lips would smile ever softly at the sight of a newborn in the arms of its mother. Had it been something she has always wanted?

He couldn’t say. She had never mentioned it and he had never asked.

The question now was, where would they go from here?

 

***

 

Carine paced the length of her living room, her hands running through her loose silver hair in worry and anger. More worry than anger, if she were being honest with herself. She knew she had dropped a huge bomb on Nero’s lap without any hint of foreshadowing and she had done it in a rather unconventional way. It was no wonder that the man had run off not two moments after she had confessed her secret; she had backed him in a corner and expected what?

What  _ had _ she expected?

Nero loved her, of that she had little doubt. He wasn’t the sort of man to stick around if he didn’t want to. Carine knew that there were other bigger things out there in this world he wanted to explore and discover and solve the mysteries to, yet for now he stayed because she  _ wanted _ him to. It was selfish of her, but this? This was worse than selfish. This was putting him in the precarious predicament of making him choose and having no way of winning. Did he leave her behind with nothing but loathing and hatred that he would give her a child and then disappear never to be heard of again? Or did he give up his dreams and passions to become something that had never been his intention?

It was as if a knife were twisting in her gut. 

Gods, she loved him. Against her better judgment she had allowed herself to fall for a man that was as fickle as the wind knowing damn well the pain that would follow should he ever no longer be a part of her life. Loving him meant knowing what his choice would be and allowing him the freedom to have it without anger or resentment because he never asked to be a father. Who was she to stand in the path of his hopes and dreams and tell him that she is more important, that their child was more important? It was his life, she had no control over that and knew deep down that a baby wouldn’t change anything. 

Briefly, she thought that maybe Y’shtola was right and that other options were for the better. 

Carine was the Warrior of Light, after all. She had no business hanging up her bow and lance to become a mother, not when the fate of the world and everything she had ever known rested upon her shoulders. A child would do nothing but create a hindrance for her, a weakness that she didn’t need. It was bad enough she had allowed herself to fall in love with a man that had once been her enemy, but to bring a child into this world when there were people that actively wanted to control and hurt her?

Foolish. 

But Carine was selfish. Gods she was selfish. She could no more deny the spark of joy in her heart when Y’shtola confirmed what she had been suspecting than she could deny the Blessing that coursed through her veins. Part of her, the smallest and most vocal part, had dared hope that Nero might feel just a sliver of the same. 

She slumped down in one of the plush chairs by the fireplace, her head hanging in defeat as tears of sorrow and loss fell from her cheeks to the floor. If Nero wanted to go, she would have no choice but to let him and wish him well. 

A knock at the door stilled her heart and turned her blood to ice. For a moment she didn’t move, didn’t breathe. Time stretched into eternity until another knock, this one just slightly louder than the last, sounded once again proving it hadn’t just been her wishful thinking to summon the sound.

Heart stuck in her throat and limbs filled with lead, it was a miracle Carine managed to walk across the room. Her hand paused over the handle, fingers ghosting against the bronze as she fought with herself to stop prolonging the inevitable. Before she opened the door, she hurriedly wiped the evidence of her sorrow from her eyes and cheeks and took a deep breath. No matter what was said, no matter how it was said, she would do her best to support him even if it killed her inside.

Nero leaned against the frame of the door, his hooded eyes downcast toward his boots. The lone blond curl that hung over his brow dangled and bounced in the night breeze and all she could think of was how much she wanted to run her hands through his hair one last time. She resisted, however, stepping to the side to allow him safe passage in with what she had hoped was a reassuring smile painted on her face. 

“I don’t know how to be a father.”

His words cut her to the bone, the admission of her worst fears the first thing to come from his lips. Carine swallowed and averted her eyes, closing the door behind him as he came through. It was an excuse she knew wouldn’t hold up to anyone else, an excuse that she normally wouldn’t accept had love never clouded her judgment. 

But what could she possibly say to that? That she knew? Of course she knew. He was a selfish man whose primary concern was himself. Somewhere along the line, she had managed to rise up in his eyes and maybe perhaps become an equal, but a man like that wasn’t cut out to father a child that held little interest for him. 

Was she supposed to say she understood? Of course she did. Carine might not know every little detail about his past and the abandonment he had felt when his parents willingly dropped him off at the Academy, but she knew enough to understand where any fear or resentment of the title of being a parent might come from. As far as he was concerned, he never had any and knew damn well he was just as selfish as they were. 

Or was she supposed to say she agreed? That was the only thing she knew she couldn’t say. Nero, selfish and prideful as he was, had the possibility of being a great father. The care he took in things, even if it were magitek and ancient Allagan technology, was a testament that if he chose to dedicate himself to the task, he could do it flawlessly. There was little doubt in her mind if he were interested in being a father, or was more prepared to be one, he would be the absolute best he could possibly be. 

But it wasn’t what he wanted and she wouldn’t force it upon him. 

“I don’t know anything about raising another...person,” Nero went on, his voice hardened and razor sharp. “I had no father, none aside from Gaius, and he is hardly worthy of being compared as such.”

“What do you want, Nero?” It pained her to utter the question and to look up into his icy eyes for confirmation of her fears, but she did it anyway. 

But what looked back at her was uncertainty and fear. It was not the look of a man that had resolved himself to running away, but one that was dangerously on the brink of doing so.

“I want you to have no illusions about me or what I am capable of. I cannot promise to be what you need me to be.” He looked down at her with an intensity that stole her breath away. His fingers raised from his sides and took her chin within their grasp to tip her head to face him. 

“But I want to try.”

Carine searched his eyes for any hint of falsehood or trickery that she knew had to be behind the words, but there was nothing more than uncertainty and fear. She couldn’t believe her ears, couldn’t believe her eyes, couldn’t believe the way he was looking at her now for some reassurance that he was making the right decision. 

“Are you sure?” she whispered with lips trembling. 

He smiled ever so softly and shook his head, “Not at all.”

“But you want this?”

“Surprisingly, I do.”

Tears sprang in her eyes and she rushed into his arms with a fierce embrace. Her heart soared with love and happiness and joy as relief coursed her veins. Laughter tumbled from her lips when his arms reached around and pulled her closer, his nose pressed into the silver waves of her hair and a smile planted on his face. 

“It won’t be easy,” she sniffled and pulled away, glad to see that he seemed genuinely happy. As happy as she was to hear that he wanted to stay by her side, she didn’t want him thinking that he had to simply because he was the father. “I never expected...I want you to know you don’t have to do this. If you wish to walk away…”

Nero pressed a cold finger to her lips and then covered her entire mouth to get her to stop her train of thought before she could get every word out. “My little bird,  _ nothing _ concerning you has ever been easy.”

Before she could respond with every reasonable reason to persuade him to really consider what he was getting himself into, Nero swept her into his arms. He muffled the surprise squeak with a heated kiss that made her melt in his embrace and forget any and all arguments she had at the ready. With each tender touch, her worries faded. If he wanted to leave, he wouldn’t have closed the door behind him. If he wanted to be free of her and the blessed burden they had unwittingly created, he wouldn’t have stayed. If he didn’t want to be a father, he wouldn’t have chosen to be one. 

And Carine could think of none better to take on this challenge than  _ her _ Garlean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wasn't going to pursue this fic entirely at first, but considering I'll never likely get to a point in my Ties That Bind series to have these two commit to a family, I figured why not at least explore the possibility in a mini AU?
> 
> So...for the first time in my life, a short, fluffy, slice of life fic following my OTP <3


End file.
